Perry Mason and the Case of the Sleepless Night
by susan cousineau
Summary: This is the continuing story of Perry Mason and the story of an innocent victim of insurance fraud. Remember Sally was 9 when she was adopted and soon turned 10 . There are over 9 years between the two children
1. Chapter 1

Della and Perry Mason were enjoying their lives as a married couple. They had been married for almost three years now . Their home was a busy one with a lively two year old and a little girl who was going to be entering middle school in the fall.

Perry and Della had considered what type of vacation that they wanted to take and had finally decided on a cruse. They would be going on a cruise on one of the cruises that was more designed for families.

As Della started to get dressed for the day she heard the familiar knock on the door. In came her beloved two children. Perry Jr came running in and jumped on the bed. Sally came right up behind him and sat down with a plunk.

"Mommy when are we going on the cruise? I am ready." Perry Jr told her.

"Honey we will be leaving in one week. We will be flying in a plane for three hours and then taking a large ship." Della smiled and picked up her little boy to give him a hug. Della loved the time with the children. Perry had been out most of the night on a case and had already left early that morning with Paul.

Sally picked up the brochure and smiled. "I have never been on such a large ship. Perry, did I tell you there is an ice cream shop on the top deck next to the pool for kids. The ice cream is free."

"Yeah I can't wait to get all the ice cream that I want." Perry called and started to jump up and down on the bed.

"We will see about that. Sally when I am at work you and Jennifer can start getting things packed for the trip." Della told Sally.

"I am glad that Jennifer is coming with us mommy. I hated to think of her being at home all alone." Sally told her.

Perry and Della had thought about not taking Jennifer, but while they were on the boat there would be times when they would need someone to stay with Sally and Perry Jr. Jennifer was a part of the family also. Jennifer had been thrilled to be asked and was going to be helping with the packing. Sally was no longer a young child and was an even better help around the home.

As Della kissed her two children good-bye she felt good about her family. She was looking forward to the vacation too. She hadn't been on a cruise since she and Perry had been on their honeymoon.

Harriet Barker had just gotten out of work and pulled into her driveway when she saw her best friend pull up in her car behind her. As Harriet got out of the car her friend Makaya opened her car door with a laugh.

"What's up?" Harriet asked her friend.

"Oh I was wondering if you would be interested in going with me to see a wrestling match. I won the tickets on the radio this morning. But the wrestling match is tonight.. Please please. She begged her friend.

Harriet looked at her watch. She was tired and would have liked to go home and rest, but she smiled at her friend and said "Why not?"

The match was going to start in just two hours so they decided to grab something to eat while they were on their way to the match. As Harriet got changed into some leisure clothes she and Makayla laughed and talked about the match.

The tickets were good ones and they would be down near the ring. Harriet had never been to a wrestling match and had rarely watched one on television. But, this was something that was free and it was a good night out with her best friend.

As the two friends arrived at the match, they found themselves crowded among over five thousand other people. As they managed to stop and get something to drink Harriet almost fainted when the young man asked for seven dollars for a bottle of sprite. But they got into their seats and watched in amazement as each and every wrestler lifted men over two hundred pounds over their heads and slammed them to the floor.

But as the two friends left the show that night their car was struck in the rear. As Harriet and Makayla got out of their car to see if there was any damage a young man jumped out from behind the drivers side and yelled "women drivers. You fools you just wrecked my brand new car. Oh I don't feel good. Someone call an ambulance. Harriet was worried about the young man and saw that neither car had sustained much damage. But he had hit them, not they hit him and the police refused to come to the scene because it had happened on private property.

Harriet was very upset about what had happened to the young man. She and Makayla watched as the ambulance took the young man away. Then his car had to be towed because there was no one in the car that had a drivers license. The group of young friends got a ride from one of their fathers and Harriet and Makayla went back home.

That night Harriet could not sleep. She worried about the young man and the car accident. She was sitting in line to leave the arena when the young man had struck her car. He wasn't going more than a few miles an hour. She had stopped and she was sure of it. But, now he claimed that he was injured and her insurance was going to way up. 'Why wouldn't the police come' she thought.

Dean Brice was smiling to himself as he waited in the emergency room for treatment. He had seen the two women leave the show and had watched as they got into their car. The young lady was driving a brand new mustang and he knew that she had money. He had hit her car just hard enough to claim injury but not hard enough to really hurt himself. But he was going to claim he had a stiff neck and collect a pretty penny from her insurance. 'What a deal. He knew that the police wouldn't come to an accident on private property. So he knew that it was going to be a matter of his word or her word.


	2. Chapter 2

For Harriet the next day was just a normal day. She was at work and had called her insurance agent. Her insurance agent told her not to worry, she had been rear ended and ninety percent of the time the person that hits someone in the back end is found to be at fault in an accident. There was no damage to her car, so she was all set.

Tonight Harriet had a date with her boyfriend. Stan was a good man with a logical mind. Harriet told him all about the accident. Stan went down to the car and took a look at the car. "You have nothing to worry about, this is not your fault." he assured her.

Stan and Harriet were getting ready to take the next step. They had been dating each other for almost two years . Stan had been thinking about asking for Harriet's hand in marriage. They got along very well and now that he was twenty six and she was twenty five he thought that they were ready.

Harriet on the other hand was still a little nervous about getting married. She loved Stan very much and wanted a family, that was true. But, she wasn't sure that they were financially secure enough. Stan had a good job in the graphics art department of a large firm and she had a good job, but she was still not ready for marriage. She enjoyed the time with Stan and dates, but was glad to go home to her own place.

Dean Brice had gotten home from the hospital and was putting on a show for his girl friend. He had insisted on using crutches and moaning and groaning the entire night. His girl friend Nicki had seen the car and couldn't see much damage. Once Dean had gotten out of the emergency room they had gone back to the arena and picked the car up.

The next morning Dean insisted on calling one of the television lawyers and filing a lawsuit against Harriet Barker. He needed the money and he saw a good chunk of change in the accident. She was a young woman with a mustang, she must have money.

But the next day Dean's plans were ruined. He went to see the lawyer and he was told that he didn't have a case. He was at fault from the accident and she could sue him.

Dean came home that night and walked back and forth across the living room rug. 'What if this woman did sue him?' He knew that he already was in a bind financially and now the lawsuit that he had been counting on was a no go. That was when he made the decision to call Harriet Barker and see if he could convince her to give him some money.

Harriet was in the living room when her phone rang. When she answered the phone she was surprised to hear that awful man Dean Brice on the other end of the line. He was the last person that she wanted to hear from. But he wanted to see her and talk about the accident.

Like a fool Harriet agreed to meet Dean Brice. She thought that it would be all right to meet with him at his house. She wasn't thinking and she wanted to stop this lawsuit . Dean lived In an apartment in the back of an old house and Harriet pulled up in the front. She walked up to his door and knocked.

Harriet received no answer but saw Dean's car in the driveway. She looked around to see if Dean was someplace around but found no one. She looked in the window of the home and saw Dean lying on the floor. She could see blood coming from his mouth and did not see him move. That was then she made another foolish decision. She tried the front door and found it unlocked. As she bent over to see if Dean was all right she heard a scream.

Peggy Charles had gone to the store and was just coming in with some groceries when she saw a strange car in the driveway. She knew that Dean had planned on calling that lady Harriet. She also knew that he had been told that he was not going to get any money from the accident. She had warned him not to call Harriet and now this strange woman was leaning over her boyfriend Dean and there was blood everywhere.

Harriet turned around and said "I think he's dead." to Peggy. Peggy and Harriet had never met before, but Peggy was sure that the lady standing there in the room with her was the lady that had been in the accident the other night with Dean. Peggy picked up the phone and called the police. "I think that there has been a murder at my boyfriend's house and the murderer is here." Peggy told the police.

As the two women went outside of the apartment they just stood there and glared at each other. Harriet tried to tell the other lady that she had not murdered anyone but Peggy wasn't in the mood to listen.

The police arrived at the scene and Harriet watched as policeman after policemen came in and out of the house. She saw the coroner and then she met with a homicide detective. He introduced himself as Lt Tragg. She was asked many questions and then told that she could leave, but not to leave town while she was under investigation.

'Investigation for murder' that was all she needed. Harriet went home and called Stan. But to her surprise he wasn't home. She just sat there in her living room in shock. She decided to call her friend Makayla and tell her what happened.

When Makayla got the call she couldn't believe what her friend was telling her. She had been there when the guy had tried to pull an insurance scam on Harriet and now he had been murdered. As Makayla came into the house she saw the worried look on her friends face. She told her "You know what you need. You need a good lawyer. You need Perry Mason.


	3. Chapter 3

Perry Mason was on his way on a vacation. His family had not been on a true vacation ever. They had chosen a cruise so that they could spend time together and there would be things for everyone to do . Jennifer would be there to help with the care of Sally and Perry Jr. and they couldn't wait. The ship was going to be leaving from Galveston TX and the ride in the airplane was going to be a long one.

Sally had her headset and was playing with one of her hand held games, but Perry was very anxious. He was now asking the twenty questions. He was a smart little boy who had such big eyes and everything was new to him. It was a good thing that they were riding in the first class because they were the only ones there that day.

Finally they arrived at the airport. Della breathed a sigh or relief when she saw the people from the cruise lines standing there holding up signs. As Perry and his little family went over to one of the people who were holding the signs they were directed down an escalator. From there they met another greeter who showed them to a line. The line went to buses that would take them to the Cruise ship.

Sally was looking around and was now very excited. As they got onto the bus she tried to help her mom and dad with the papers that had to be filled out and Jennifer kept a keen eye on Perry Jr. The two of them were busy looking for the ship out of the bus windows.

Della heard the familiar shriek of her son's voice as he called out "Mommy daddy the boat. See." He was now jumping up and down on the seat and was nearly jumping through the window. Jennifer was having all she could do to stop him from getting off the bus right then and there.

But somehow the family managed to get on the ship and as they were shown their suite of rooms they all took a deep breath. The sliding doors to the large balcony made the suite wonderful. The suite had three bedrooms and they had their own private maid. The maid insisted on doing all of the unpacking and Sally wanted to go up on deck.

"Daddy there is a going away party. I want to go. Come on Perry." Sally told everyone as she grabbed her brother's hand. They rode up the elevator and were indeed met by the large going away party. All five of them had a great time and danced and waved as the ship left for their seven day cruise.

They ate a hearty supper together that night and after the children had gone to bed Della took out the brochure with the information on what was going to be happening on the ship while they were there. The next day would be a day at sea and there were lots of things for the children and them to do. Sally and Perry Jr. would have a play group where the children would swim and play games. Perry would be with the youngest group and Sally with the oldest. But the activities looked like a lot of fun for the both of them.

This would give Jennifer some time for her to do things that she wanted to do and time for Perry and Della to enjoy the time together. Della wanted to try out some shopping on board. There were lots of shops on the ship and they were duty free. That would save a great deal of money. Della knew that Sally would want to go shopping with her and that was fine. But she wanted to go shopping with Perry and no children at least once while they were on the cruise.

So after soaking in the sun for a couple of hours on their private deck Della and Perry headed out to do some shopping. The stores were the elite and Della found a pocketbook that she really wanted. It was a Gucci and Perry didn't even blink as she paid for the three thousand dollar purse with a charge. Della thought to herself "it is so strange to not worry about money."

The cruise was something that the Mason family had badly needed. Work had kept Della and Perry busy and each day they got to spend most of the time with their children. By the end of the seven days they were ready to go back to work once again. Each and everyday had been filled with fun and sun and lots of good food. Everyone at the office was going to get a bonus and no one had talked business in a week.

But when Della and Perry got back to the office there as a case waiting for them. They had not been up on the local news, but there always seemed to be a murder someplace in the city. There was always someone in trouble and they were always in need of a good lawyer. Perry Mason was the best and everyone knew it.

As Gertie came into the inner office to update Della and Perry on what was happening she told them about a lady named Harriet Barker. "She and her friend Makayla say that they need to get hold of a good lawyer. Harriet and Makayla were involved in a minor car accident with a man. When he called her to come and talk to her about the accident she found him murdered. She is a prime suspect but has not been arrested yet. She has an appointment for one this afternoon. I hope that is all right with you."

Perry Mason looked at Della and smiled "Yes that is all right Gertie." He then turned to Della and told her get me what you can for information on this Harriet Barker and the murder please."

With that Della went out to her laptop to read up on the case for her husband.


	4. Chapter 4

Paul Drake had been busy on another case out of town when his friend Perry had called him. When Perry Mason was out of town business could be a little slow at the Drake Detective Agency and he was glad to hear that his friend was back.

Perry had asked for Paul to come over to his office and so Paul came to the back door as he usually did. When he knocked Perry answered the door with a smile. They shook hands and Paul took a seat in his regular chair. Della came into the office and the three friends were back together where they belonged.

"What did you find out about Harriet Barker?" Perry asked his wife Della.

"It seems that she and the victim Dean Brice. She had gone to a wrestling match and he had hit her in the rear end. He had seen her new ford mustang and had assumed that she had money. So, he had claimed injury. There was no damage to either car, but Dean had insisted that he had hurt his back and was taken to the hospital.

"Harriet had wished to leave everything up to the insurance company, but Dean had offered to make a settlement with her and not involve the insurance company. Perry, I think that she was an innocent victim of insurance fraud. But, Dean called her and told her that he had wanted to talk. She went over his house and found the man dead on the floor." Della told Perry and Paul"

"Yep that sure sounds like a scam of some sort. That has become the new thing around the city. A person hits a car and then claims either back injury or whiplash. They then agree to a settlement out of court. It is a new get rich scheme and becoming very popular." Paul told his friends.

"Paul I want you to look into this and get any information that you can for me." Perry asked his friend.

"I am right on it. Good to see you. It has been dull with you and your family not around. Paul Jr. has a new video game that he is dying to play with Sally. Check with you later." Paul told them with a smile and out the back door he went.

Harriet Barker was a nervous wreck. The police had spoken to her the day of the murder and had been by the night before to ask her a few more questions. She knew that she needed a good attorney and Perry Mason was the best. But she worried about how much money he would charge. She was not a wealthy woman . Her friend Makayla had agreed to come with her.

When Harriet heard the sound of Makayla's horn, she took a quick look in the mirror and went out the door. The drive into town was not far, but the traffic was bad and it seemed to take forever on this day. As they pulled up to the tall building where Perry Mason had his office she looked up. It was a tall building and very foreboding it seemed. As Makayla and Harriet got into the elevator Harriet took a deep breath.

"Don't be nervous Harriet if anyone can help you Mr. Mason can. I spoke to his secretary and he agreed to meet with you. Everything will work out I am sure." Makayla told her with a gentle squeeze of the arm.

Harriet and Makayla were welcomed into the office and there at the desk stood a large man with huge understanding eyes. He stood up and shook her hand. As he introduced himself and his wife Harriet and Makayla relaxed a little.

Perry looked at the two young women and smiled "I have been looking into your case and have a friend of mine looking into things a little further right now. Can you tell me what happened? Please don't leave anything out. I just want an honest statement with everything that you and your friend remember." Perry told the two women kindly.

Harriet spoke up first "Makayla and I went to a wrestling match and on the way out of gate eight we were tapped in the rear end. I barely felt it, but got out of my car to make sure that there was no damage. I was given the car by my parents as a graduation gift and it was brand new. But when I got out the other driver did not, so I went over to check on him. He was yelling that he had hurt his back and that he was going to sue me. Someone called an ambulance and he was taken to the hospital" she told him.

"Did you see the man that hit you at the game ?" Perry asked.

"No I had never seen him before. But there was a large crowd and he could have been there. I just might not have seen him." Harriet told him.

"Usually people don't go to games like that by themselves. Was someone else in the car with him?" Perry asked.

Harriet thought for a moment and told him "He was alone. You are right. Perhaps he met someone there that night." she offered.

"Don't worry Miss Barker I will contact you once I have any information." Perry offered

Harriet and Makayla left that day feeling much better. But they had no way of knowing that Lt Tragg was hot on Harriet's case and very close to getting a warrant out for Harriet's arrest.

Lt. Tragg had been working very hard on the case involving Harriet Barker. There was something that didn't set right with him. Dean Brice had been trying to get money on an accident scheme he was sure. But, why would Mrs. Barker kill him for that? It didn't make any sense. But, her prints had been found on the murder weapon and she had been seen standing over the body. When the police had come she had readily admitted this.

He had also looked into Harriet Barker and found out that she was known to once in a while have a hot temper. There was a boyfriend from her hometown that had called the police on her once because she had slapped him across the face. As Tragg looked over all the crime scene photos he thought that it was time to talk to Hamilton Burger the district attorney. It was time for an arrest warrant.


	5. Chapter 5

Lt Tragg walked into the district attorney's office once more. He and Hamilton Burger had been good friends and co workers for many years now. The office was right across the street from the courthouse and on the seventh floor. Tragg had called Hamilton and was expected.

Hamilton Burger had been reading the material about the murder of Dean Brice. People had killed before for less and she had the motive the opportunity and the time to commit it. Harriet's fingerprints were found in the home also. Now, some of the lab results had come in and the case was building against Miss Harriet Barker. Her fingerprints had been found inside of the home and her dna was there also.

The two men sat down and once more went over the facts piece by piece. It was determined that it was indeed time for an arrest warrant to be issued. With that, Hamilton went to the courthouse with his friend and obtained one.

Harriet Barker had been home nervously pacing back and forth. She had no idea who had killed Dean and wished that she had never gone over to his home that day. It had been a stupid idea and now she was paying for it. If Mr. Mason wasn't able to find out who the real murderer was she could be in prison for a long time.

As Harriet made herself a cup of tea there was a knock on the door. As she went to answer the door, she saw the police cars outside. She knw that this was it. She was about to be arrested for the murder.

Della had worked all day at the office trying to find out all of the information that she could about the case. Because, of their vacation, she had to read all of the articles and the internet as well. It had been a long day and she was glad to be greeted by her children when she got home.

Sally was in the kitchen chopping onions and came running over to her mother and father as they came into the house. Perry Jr. had been in the den playing with his trucks when he heard his parents come in. He too, ran in to greet them. The home was a true home with two healthy, happy children and their nanny.

Perry had a lot of work to do that evening. He knew that if anything was going to happen with the case of Harriet Barker, it was going to happen soon. He was sure that Burger was going to be taking out an arrest warrant soon and he needed to be prepared. He gave both of his children a tender hug and headed out to his home office to do some work before dinner.

Della smiled as she watched Sally busy at the kitchen counter. She was becoming a good cook, and took great pride in her meals. Della had been nervous about Sally using the stove, but the young girl had proven to be very careful and Jennifer was always there if she wasn't. So Della went upstairs and changed her clothes to something more comfortable.

Peggy Charles was now in the process of moving back to her parents home. Without Dean to help with the bills and the terrible memories of what had happened in her home, she just couldn't stay there any longer. Peggy looked around the room and thought of all the dreams and hopes that she had once had for her and Dean. He had been a bum and a swindler, but he hadn't deserved to die in such a horrific way.

The police had warned Peggy that she was to stay in town also. She was still a suspect in the crime. 'Of all the things that I have done in my life, murder was not one of them.' she cried to herself. It was hard locking the door behind her. The movers were going to be putting most of her things in storage, and then she was going to clean the house once more.

Paul Drake was now in full investigation mode. He knw that he had lost precious time by being busy on another case. It didn't help that Della and Perry had been out of town when the murder had happened. As he pulled up to the large apartment building where Dean Brice had lived and been murdered, he took note of the location.

The location of the apartment building was not in the better section of town. There were several apartments in the building and rubbish everywhere. In the heat that Las Angeles was known for this would bring bugs and rats. The apartment was not a good place. As Paul got out of his car he locked the doors. He could hear someone yelling at his girl friend or wife and her yelling back.

As he walked up the steps to the apartment, he ran into a young boy. Paul knw that sometimes children were the best holders of pertinent information. He smiled at the young man as he went by and turned to knock on the apartment door where the murder had happened.

Jimmy Stevens turned and saw what the man was doing and said "No one lives there anymore. The lady moved out today. There was a murder there," he told Paul in a quieter voice."

Paul took advantage of the situation. He knw that he was going to have to tread carefully, but this young man may have some information for him. He turned around smiling and said "I heard about the murder, but I was hoping to speak to Peggy the girl friend of the man who was killed. My name is Paul Drake. What is your name he asked."

Jimmy beamed at the chance to speak to someone about the murder. He had been out on the sidewalk when he had seen a lady go up the stairs to the apartment that day. He had seen her looking in the windows and then trying the door. He hadn't seen anything else until Peggy had come back to the apartment and found her boyfriend dead. But he had heard Dean and another woman yelling at each other just a few minutes before that other lady had shown up. "My name is Jimmy Stevens. I didn't see anything that day, but I heard Dean and another man arguing when I was out here on the sidewalk." he told him.

"Did you know the man who was arguing with Dean?" Paul asked him.

"No, but I saw a black car leaving just before the other lady came. I think it was a Toyota." Jimmy told him with pride.

Paul thanked the young man and got his phone number. As he walked around the side of the building he found a large parking lot and another entrance to the apartment where Dean had been murdered.

The Mason family had just taken their seats at the family table when the phone rang. It was Harriet and she had been arrested. As Della got up to put together something quickly for her husband Sally jumped up to help. While Perry went and got his briefcase and laptop, Della and Sally put his dinner into a plastic container. Unfortunately this happened more often than not. Perry Mason was always leaving in the middle of dinner and so they had the containers there in case of it happening again.

Perry smiled as his two girls handed him his bag once more. "Thank you" he told them as he kissed them all good-bye and once more headed out to help a client who was in trouble.


	6. Chapter 6

As Perry got into his car and drove away from the large home that he now owned he smiled. This certainly had not been the life that he had thought he was going to have. He had never been a handsome child or a man. He had been a bookworm in college and schools and had few dates. But, then Della had come into his life. The moment he had met her he knew that she was the woman that he was going to be spending the rest of his life with.

Now, as the father of two children he was a truly family man. He loved his family more than anything. As he pulled up in front of the police station once more, he became the lawyer that he was. He was able to separate the two lives now easily and he knew that he had to help someone who was in trouble once more.

The police station was dark and smoky. There were the normal domestic disputes and the dui s going on. This he had become used to over the years. He felt sorry for the women and children who were there to pick up their fathers brothers or many of their family members. He knew that some were the victims and were going to be victimized once again . Sometimes they would suffer this fate for the rest of their lives.

Lt Tragg was waiting for Perry as he came into the hall. "Hello Perry. We have been waiting for you." He walked down the hallway and opened the door to a small room where Harriet Barker was siting there anxiously awaiting Perry's arrival.

Perry walked into the room and started to explain to Harriet what was going to happen next. "You will have a hearing in the morning. At the hearing I will do my best to get you out on bail. Unfortunately, you will have to spend the night.

Harriet couldn't believe her ears. She was going to have to spend the night in jail. As she went over all of the facts that she knew with Mr. Mason she could not remember anything new at all.

Perry Mason got up and shook his clients hands. "Don't worry. I will see you in the morning."

But Harriet knew that she was not going to get any sleep that night. It was going to be another sleepless night for her. But this time she was going to be in jail. She was allowed to call her mother at least so that her parents wouldn't worry.

Della had been busy back at the house. She had put the children to bed after a game of chutes and ladders with Perry Jr and after she had helped Sally with her homework. Sally was a very bright student and now wanted to be a lawyer like her dad. Della was very proud of her children and enjoyed her time at home.

But, now that the children were in bed it was time for her to go to work. There were a lot of papers that needed to be filled out. She had motions to write and Perry and her were going to be up most of the night getting ready for court in the morning. She smiled at Jennifer who was her right hand. Jennifer knew what was going to happen next and would take care of getting the children ready for Della and Perry in the morning.

Paul Drake had been at the house where the murder had happened. He was hoping on a hunch that the mysterious black car would show up sometime. He had talked to the apartment manager, and had been shown the list of legally registered cars in the building. Unfortunately. this had turned up as a dead run. There was no such car listed. The building had no cars listed that came anywhere close to the description that the young man had given him.

He was going over his notes and looking at other suspects when his phone rang. It was Perry, Harriet had been arrested. He was going to have to meet his friends Perry and Della at the court the next morning.

Makayla had just sat down to watch some television when her phone had rung. It was her friend Harriet's mother called. Harriet had been arrested. This was the most devastating news that Makayla could imagine. Her friend had no more murdered the man than she did. 'Why would she murder him? To Harriet all that had happened to her was a small accident. Her insurance might go up. That was all.'

Nicki Brown had enough of the news She had not known that her boyfriend Dean had been living with another woman. When she had found out in the papers about the murder, that had been the first time that she had ever heard of Peggy Charles. Dean had told her that she was the only woman for him and had told her that they would get married someday. She had thought about confronting this girl Peggy Charles, but had decided against it. 'She will get her own.' she thought to herself.

Stan Phelps had been at home going over and over what had happened to his long time girl friend. Harriet did have a hot Irish temper, but she would not have killed anyone. He knew that for sure. He was sure that awful woman Peggy Charles was the most logical suspect. He had gone over to the house and spoken to that jerk Dean just a short time before the murder. All the guy had wanted was money. He had given up trying to reason with the guy and had left.

Perry arrived at his home he found Della busy at work in the home office. She had a fresh pot of coffee waiting for him and had typed many of the needed briefs already for him to sign. He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss. He smiled at his wife and sat down at his desk to once more dedicate all his time and energy to the solving of this murder.

As Perry went over the case he saw that the evidence against Harriet was not a very strong one. Yes, her fingerprint were there in the apartment, but she had gone in with the thought of helping the man. She had seen him lying on the floor and had hoped to help him. She had no way of knowing that he was dead until she had gone in and checked.

Someone had hit the man over the head with a heavy ashtray. They may not have realized that he was dead. It had been just one blow and according to the medical examiner, he would have been conscious for up to three minutes before passing. This did not leave much time for the murder to get away. His live in girl friend had been only at the store.

That evening became late night and as Della and Perry worked so did Paul. He had been outside the apartment when he had finally hit pay dirt. It was just after eleven when a black Toyota came up the driveway. Paul watched as a young man got out of the car and headed up to an apartment just two doors down from the apartment where the murder had happened.

Paul copied down the license number and took some night vision photos of the man. He knew that the lady that lived in the apartment was a young woman named Debbie Germain. He had spoken to her earlier in the day, and he was now going to be finding out more about her. The young man stayed at the apartment for the entire night and didn't leave until around five that morning.

As Paul glanced at his watch, he realized that he had once more gotten little or no sleep. But, he did have some information for Perry. He would have some of his men continue working on the case and have them get all the information that they could on the man in the car and Debbie Germain. With that he started the car and headed home for a short nap and shower.

Sue Drake was used to her husband being out all night. But, it still didn't make her any less nervous. Each and every time that he went out, she knew that he was in danger. He was now working on another Perry Mason case, and she knew he would be very busy for a while. She heard the familiar turn of the bedroom knob and smiled her husband was home. She gave him a kiss and got up to let him get some much needed sleep. He asked her to wake him up at 9 for court. 'Just two hours sleep is all he is going to get' she thought to herself with a shake of her head. It had been another sleepless night.


	7. Chapter 7

As Perry and Della arrived at the courthouse that gloomy day they were met on the steps by their friend Paul. Paul Drake was clean and well pressed, but one look at his eyes you could see that he had been up all night along with the Masons.

"Good morning Paul. I hope you have something fro me." Perry told his friend.

"Yes I had a lead on a black Toyota and finally saw it . The car belongs to a man named Jim Turner. He has not been too bad a man. He has a couple of scuffles with the police but nothing major. He is twenty-five and has been seeing a lady that lives near the apartment where the murder happened. I have a man watching the apartment right now." Paul told him as he checked his texts.

"Well, you go right ahead and look into that angle. Someone with quick access to the building and apartment could be a likely suspect. Whoever did this murder slipped in and out of the apartment without being noticed. Have you had a chance to look at the footage from the security cameras that they had set up?" Perry asked.

"Yes and unfortunately they were a dead end. The camera that was facing in the direction of the apartment where the murder happened was not working that day. The maintenance man was supposed to fix it but he hadn't gotten around to it when the murder happened. His name is Sam Cleary and I have a man checking on him at the moment also." Paul told him.

As the three friends walked into the courthouse they were greeted by a very worried . Harriet's mother had seen to it that her daughter was well dressed and that she was wearing her best outfit for her day in court. Perry Della and Paul all went into the meeting room with Harriet and went over all of the things that had happened the day of the murder once more. But, she could not think of anything to add.

As they went into the courtroom they were greeted by both Hamilton Burger and Lt. Tragg; Even though, they were advisories in the courtroom they were friends on the outside. Perry now lived next door to Hamilton's brother and was over there quite often for ba and social parties. Lt Tragg had been a longtime homicide detective and Perry respected his work.

The time before the judge was a normal day for Perry and Hamilton, but at the end of the day Harriet Barker was going to be free on bail, but she could not leave the city of Las Angeles. Her parents paid the bondsman by putting up their home, and Perry, Paul and Della went to work on finding out who the real murderer was.

Della had been once more studying all the information that she could find on all of the suspects, when she kept on seeing a reference to a Bill Johnston. Bill was the brother of Peggy Charles. He had a hot temper and was known to get into fights. He had known Dean through Peggy and he also drove a black car. As Della looked at the picture of Bill Johnston she compared it with the photo that she had of Jim Turner, and they could have been wrongfully identified at a long distance. They had the same hair and shaped nose and they were about the same age.

Perry had been working on some briefs when Della had come into his office. She showed him the information that she had and Perry gave her a kiss. "Now I know why I love you. I will let Paul know right away." he smiled as he held her in his arms.

But just then the familiar knock came on the back door and as Della opened it she was greeted by Paul .

"Hello beautiful" Paul said to Della as he took a seat in his favorite chair. "It would seem that our victim Dean had quite a few girls hanging around thinking that they were his one and only. He was actually engaged to one other girl. Her name is Nicki Brown. I am looking into her and looking to see if she had anything to do with the murder. She is at work right now, but she should be getting home in an hour."

Perry looked at Della and smiled. "How would you like some company when you go to meet Miss Brown? " he asked his friend.

"Sounds good to me." Paul told him.

Perry leaned over and gave his wife a kiss "Don't wait up honey. We will be out on a stakeout for most of the night." and with that the two men left the room.

Della looked at the clock and saw that it was already almost five. She decided to go home and spend some time with her children. Once Sally and Perry Jr were in bed she would do some more searching on her laptop.

As Della came in the kitchen she was greeted by her happy little family once more. The dinner was almost ready and she was starved. She remembered how it had used to have been when she was living in her own home with her sister Lori. Most nights she either grabbed a sandwich with Perry or had cold leftovers from what Lori had made earlier in the day. She didn't see Lori as much as she used to and was looking forward to the party that she and Perry were having on Saturday Lori and her husband and children would all be there.

Perry and Paul pulled up in front of a home just a few homes from Nicki Brown's home. The home was a modest but clean home with a large set of bushes in front of it. This was going to make it a little harder for them to see inside, but they would watch for what happened anyways. They had not been sitting there long when a white Chevrolet pulled into the driveway and Nicki got out. She was carrying a bag of groceries and went right inside.

They had been siting there watching when another car pulled into the driveway. This time it was a man in his twenties. Paul nodded to Perry. "That's Jim Turner. I wonder what he is doing here."

As Paul and Perry sat there they could hear loud voices coming from the home. Nicki opened the door and was standing in a threatening manner. Jim Turner was looking very frustrated and was flailing his arms at her. But, after a few minutes he left. She slammed the door and he tore out of the driveway. As he drove by the two men in the car he didn't even notice them he was so mad.

In the meantime Nicki was in her kitchen crying. Why did Jim keep on coming over and arguing with her? He was always in a bad mood because of his stupid girl friend. She (Nicki) was supposed to be the one that needed understanding. After all her fiancée had just been murdered. But Jim said that was taking Dean's death really bad and he wanted her to go over and stay with her for a couple of nights while he was gone out of town on business. The nerve of the man.

The rest of the night was quiet until about nine when Nicki got back into her car. Perry and Paul followed her at a safe distance and were surprised to see her pull into the driveway where Dean had once lived. They watched as she went into the apartment of Debbie Germain's. She was welcomed in and they saw or heard nothing for the rest of the night. At midnight the two friends parted company .


	8. Chapter 8

As Perry went to his home office he found his wife Della hard at work at her laptop. She was so busy at her desk that she had not heard him come into the house. She looked up and saw her husband standing there.

Perry had been sitting in a cramped front seat for most of the night and was very tired. But, to Della he looked like the most handsome man that Della had ever seen. He had a big presence and the air seemed to change with his entrance. Della got up from her desk and went over to him. There they embraced in a long kiss and embrace.

As they pulled apart Perry took Della's chin in his hand. "'You are the reason for my life, my family and my success as a lawyer. I love you and I always will no matter what." Perry told her.

Della could have cried as she listened to the words of her gentle and kind husband and said "You are stuck with me Perry. I love you and I always will. Let's go to bed and do some more work in the morning.

Perry began to argue but gave up when he looked into her eyes. She was right as she always was. He was exhausted and so wasn't she. There was nothin pressing at the moment and they both needed sleep. The next morning was going was Saturday and they were having a big bar b q/ Della knew that she had a lot of work to do.

Lori and her husband Mike and their two children. Paul and Paul's wife and two children would be there too. Hamilton Burger his wife, and their two boys and Hamilton's brother and his wife along with their son would all be there. It was going to be a day of rest for everyone. It had been a long hard summer and Della was looking forward to the time of rest and fun. She had invited Lt Tragg and Gerty to come over but she wasn't sure if they were coming or not.

Like an alarm clock Perry Jr and Sally came into the bedroom at eight am that Saturday. Sally was all excited about the barb b q. "I have been busy down stairs with Jennifer cooking eggs and helping with everything. She is busy cooking potatoes for the potato salad . Aunt Lori called she wants you to call her when you get up."

Perry Jr was jumping up and down " Come on mommy daddy. You need to get up. It's time to get ready for the picnic." he called out in a loud voice. But his daddy picked him up and said "Well come on Tiger you can help me get things ready out back, all right ?" he asked him.

"Yipee. I will be waiting downstairs. I will make sure that everything is ready for our friends." and with that Sally took her brother's hand and they left the master bedroom.

Della and Perry came down the stairs to find Jennifer and Sally busy in the kitchen. Sally was growing up too fast. She was now allowed to use a knife with close supervision and she was proud of herself. Once Della and Perry had finished their breakfast Della called Lori and Perry went ouside with his son to get everything ready on the outside.

Della called her sister who also had been busy getting ready for the party. She had been getting chicken ready and had made a big pot of meatballs. She was famous for her meatballs. Mike had gotten some beer and soda for the kids.

Sally was busy now making her famous lemonade. The lemonade was delicious as Sally had learned from her birth mother how to make it. Once in a while she thought of her other mommy and daddy. She had loved them very much. She hoped that they would be proud of how she had grown up and happy that she now had a little brother. As Paul Jr came into the house, she asked Jennifer if she could go outside and play with her friend.

Jennifer had laughed and said "Of course." As Jennifer watched Sally and Paul jr go outside, she was glad that they were such good friends. Sally was such a good kid and so wasn't Paul. This was going to be a great day. Here at the Mason's she was treated like a member of the family, not an employee. She loved being here.

The pool man had been at the house jut the day before, so the pool didn't need much work. Perry started cleaning and skimming the pool with the 'help' of his son. When he looked up he aw his best friend Paul Drake smiling up at him. Paul Jr and Sally were already playing in the yard together when Perry finished the work in the pool.

Soon everyone showed up for the party. It was the type of party that everyone needed. There was swimming and lot to eat and lots of games and talk. It was past seven when everyone left and Della Perry and their little family sat back on the terrace to relax.

Harriet was getting very nervous about what was happening with her case. Perry Mason had been very good about keeping her informed, but she was still nervous. Her mother and father kept on telling her to relax that Perry Mason was the best attorney that she could ever hope to find.

Peggy Olson was getting tired of all of the reporters. Everywhere she went there was someone hanging out around her asking questions. She honestly had no idea who had murdered her boyfriend if it wasn't Harriet. Every time she picked up a newspaper or turned on the television there was someone talking about the murder. Everyone had their own ideas on what had happened and who the murderer was but no one knew. She had buried her boyfriend just three weeks before and soon she would be attending the trial for his murder. If she had been told that this would be happening just a month ago she wouldn't have believed it.

Mrs. Olson watched her daughter as she sat at her desk. She was worried about her mental health. Peggy had never been a strong person and this murder had aged her many years. Mr. Olson wasn't much help either all he did was shake his head whenever she brought the subject up. She had already made up her mind that she was going to be in the courtroom to support her daughter.

But, the day had been a good one and everyone at the Mason party had relaxed. It was a needed day and the Mason family would be soon ready for more work on the mystery. Della and Perry laughed as they watched their two children swim in the pool once again. They never seemed to lose their energy.


	9. Chapter 9

Monday morning came early at the Mason household, and as Della and Perry left for work once again they were back in work mode. As they entered the office they were pleased and surprised to find their friend Paul Drake standing there next to the coffee machine.

As the three of them walked into Perry's private office, and took a seat Paul took a seat in his favorite chair. "I have some interesting information for the two of you. One of my men has been watching the Olson home. Peggy Olson is now living with her parents. So, I thought that we should find out something about her parents. It turns out that Mrs. Olson has been having an affair, and the affair has been going on for a while. She has been seeing our victim Dean Brice's brother Carl. I have been looking into this. It would seem that Carl had been seen arguing with his brother just the night before. He didn't like how his brother was treating Peggy." he told them.

Della knew about Bill Johnston and the trouble that he could have caused. "I would like you to look into Peggy's brother Bill Johnston. He has a hot temper and was known to hang out with Dean sometimes. Whoever did this was known to the victim and had to be someone that has been seen around the apartment before because they went unnoticed.

Paul smiled at Della and said "Will do." and with that he left the room.

The rest of the day was a busy day at the office. It was just a little after one when Perry got a call from a longtime friend and judge. Judge Jenkins had been instrumental in making Perry what he was today. He was smart and one of the best criminal attorneys in the state when he had been appointed to a seat as a judge.

Clark Jenkins had a young man in his office who he felt could be one of the best attorneys with the help of another more experienced lawyer. He was young and very bright. He was head strong, but very earnest and willing to work long hard hours. "Perry, I have a young man here who needs an experienced lawyer to take him under his wing. He is bright and could be one of the best lawyers in the state with the right teacher." he asked his friend.

Perry thought for a moment. More than once he had taken in a young lawyer, and he owed his friend Clark a favor. He said "I will meet with the young man. When could he come over?"

The judge was happy to tell him that his young man was named Craig Field. He had graduated from law school two years ago. He had worked for the Boston district attorney's office. He had moved out here to be with his wife's family and now had his license to practice law here in the state of California. He had made a name for himself in the city and knew his laws well.

Della had listened to her husband talking to his friend with interest. Perry had assisted many young lawyers in the past few years. Perry wasn't that old himself. As he was just turning forty-three. He was a well known attorney though, and any young lawyer would do just about anything for a chance to work with her husband. She was very proud of her husband and the work that he did.

Craig Field could not believe his luck. This was a chance in a lifetime. He was going to meet and perhaps work with the great Perry Mason. He straightened out his suit and drove over to the Mason office right away.

As Craig came into the office he looked around at the busy woman who were answering the phone and typing letters for the great lawyer. He spoke to a woman and she called over the phone to another lady. He looked up and saw a woman in her thirties coming towards him. She was a pretty lady with dark hair and high heels on . She introduced herself as Della Mason. He knw that she was Perry Mason's wife.

Della took Craig into her husband's office and Perry shook his hand and asked the young man to take a seat. Della took her seat next to her husband and smiled. The young man was a good looking man with a kind face. He was obviously very nervous, but his voice was steady and his eyes sparkled as he spoke to her husband.

"Our work is fast paced and can be dangerous young man. Are you ready to take the chance?" Perry asked him.

Craig had found that working for the district attorney's office had indeed been dangerous once in a while. He had spent many sleepless nights up working on briefs and attempting to prove that the man was guilty. He looked Mr. Mason in the face directly and said "Yes I am. I have worked for the district attorney's office in Boston and have encountered many situations. Some of those were not safe." he replied.

Perry smiled at the young man. He liked this man and said "All right. I will give you a chance. I want you to go to the library in the room there and look up and copy the following laws." With that he handed the young man a stack of papers that were over a foot thick.

Craig gulped. But he said thank you and walked into the library to look up the laws. He knew that this could shape his future. What he was about to do could be the deciding point of whether or not he would continue working for Mr. Mason or not. He opened the first page and began his search. This was going to be a long day.

Perry smiled as he watched the young man go into the library. He had taken the stack without question and he was sure that he was going to be busy for the next several hours. Della just smiled knowing that these papers were of no real use to her husband. This was a test and it was a good one. She was going to be interested in what happened.

Harriet and Makayla had been worrying ever since they had gone to that awful sporting event. The two friends had enough of not knowing who the real murderer was and did not know what to do. Harriet was going over everything that she knew about the man. Dean had been a womanizer and a crook. Perhaps he had tried to scam someone else out of money. This is what she was going to look into now. People like Dean Brice were always finding trouble, it was as though it followed them everywhere they went.

Makayla and Harriet spent most of the afternoon looking into that thought when they came upon a story about a man who had done the same thing. Indeed there it was Dean Brice, he had taken ten thousand dollars from a lady with a fake broken arm. With that she decided to call Mr. Mason, he needed to know.


	10. Chapter 10

The pace at the Mason office was fast and as Craig Field finished one pile of papers either Della or Perry would give her more to read. There were so many laws to learn, but he was determined to find all the information that Mr. Mason wanted. This was an opportunity of a lifetime for him and he was not going to do anything to mess up this chance.

The date of the trial was coming up. It was going to be starting on Monday and Perry still had no idea who the killer was. There was no lack of suspects, but he had nothing that he could prove as of yet.

Perry and Della were in the office working on the case once again when Paul Drake knocked on the door. He had a knock set up with Perry and Della so that they knew it was him. Della opened the door and smiled "Hello Paul"

"Hi beautiful." Paul told her and then took a seat in his favorite chair once more. He looked over at his two best friends and smiled. Marriage had done them both good. They were full of life and very happy. He could see that they were deeply in love. He also knew that they made a formidable team on the courtroom floor also. Sue had worked for him, but once they had married she had decided to stay home and take care of the house and kids. It had been hard for them to work together but Della and Perry had found a system and had been very successful at keeping their personal and business lives separate.

"So, have you any information on Bill Johnston?" Perry asked Paul.

"I have been tailing the man for the last two days . He is trouble Perry. He is always getting into little scuffles with people and is always looking for a fight. He owes everyone in town also. He has been causing some problems at the home front also. This afternoon just two hours ago, he confronted his mother and Carl Brice. They had a terrible falling out and he threatened to tell his father what was going on if they didn't co sign for a loan on a new car he wanted. It seems that he smashed his car up a couple of weeks ago and he wants a new one." Paul told them.

Perry was thinking hard. He knew that he was a suspect, but there was still nothing that could tie him to the murder. He had been out driving in San Diego at the time and had the gas receipt to prove it. "What about Carl Brice?" he asked.

"Carl Brice is a sort of wimp. He is only interested in Peggy's mother to get to Peggy I think. Whenever Peggy is around Carl caters to her. He seems to always have some sort of reason to see her. I have been showing his picture around town and trying to get more information on him. I think that he is hiding something. My men and I have not been able to find anything as of yet, but we are working on it.

"Have you looked into Harrriet's friend Makayla?" Perry asked.

"That was the one thing that I found very interesting. It seems that Makayla has been seeing Harriet's longtime boyfriend on the side. She has been over there several times in the past week. I have not been able to find them doing anything questionable, but I have a man keeping a sharp eye on her to see what turns up." Paul told him.

Della had heard everything ever since she had gone to work for Perry. Now, to find out that perhaps even Harriet's boyfriend wasn't trustworthy was kind of sad . She said "Well, find out Paul. They might be just trying to help Harriet out, you know." she told him.

"Yes, I know that. But sometimes when people do get too involved and they don't know what they are doing, they get hurt. That is another reason why I have been keeping an extra eye on them both." Paul reassured her.

Makayla looked out her living room widow. She thought that there had been a man on the corner a minute ago. 'Stop worrying, it's all your imagination no one is watching you. ' she thought to herself.

Stan Phelps had been keeping an eye on that no good brother of Dean Brice's. He knew that he was always in trouble and probably had been in on the insurance scam with his mother. 'But was he capable of murder?' he thought to himself. This night he had followed him into a local bar. He sat near him, but not next to him. He did not want to bring any attention to himself. As the night had gotten later Carl Brice had gotten mouthier and was bragging about how he was getting a new car. "I found a couple of lovers that don't want to be found and they are giving me the money." he bragged.

But, Harriet was starting to wonder where her boyfriend Stan was? He was not coming over as often, and when she had confronted him he had been very evasive. 'I hope that he doesn't think that I am the murderer' she worried to herself. It seemed as though Makayla was making herself scarce too. 'I need to stop thinking like this.' she thought to herself.

Harriet was now getting ready for court. Her case was going to be coming up on Monday. She called Makayla and the two of them went to the mall to pick up some appropriate attire for the courtroom. Mrs. Mason had been wonderful, giving her suggestions on what to wear and how to do her hair. Harriet had never been to a courthouse before and needed some advice. It was a good day for shopping and Harriet needed something to keep her mind of the case.

Nicki Brown was not able to get the murder out of her head. She had been so in love with Dean and he had been using her. As mad as she was at him for what he had done, she had not wanted him dead. 'But who would kill him? She knew that Dean probably had other girlfriends and perhaps one of them had done the murder. Maybe that lady Harriet was not the murderer, she thought.

Paul had been looking into the possibility that there was another woman involved with Dean. He seemed to move from location to location and didn't appear to be the type of man who would have only one girl friend. He found that there was indeed another girlfriend and he decided to go to her house and talk to her.

As Paul pulled up to the house, he saw a young woman looking out the window. As he walked up the front steps, she answered the door. Nicki wasn't surprised that someone had reported her being Dean's girlfriend. She had never had any reason to hide it from anyone. The man that came to the door was a handsome man in his late 30's to early 40's and she welcomed him in. He introduced himself as Paul Drake and they both took a seat.

Paul listened with interest to this lady. She had not known anything about Dean having another girlfriend and had been devastated when she had found out the truth. She had planned to marry the man and showed him a ring. "He was everything to me sir. I don't know why someone killed him. He didn't deserve to die." Nicki cried as she told Paul her story.

As Paul left the house, he felt that Nicki was not a murderer. Something about the way that she spoke about Dean and her body actions told him that she was more than likely innocent. He had been fooled before, though, and he was going to have to check her out totally.


	11. Chapter 11

It was now Monday morning and as Della and Perry headed to the courthouse once more Harriet Barker was getting ready to go the what was going to be the most important part of her life so far. Harriet had been to the store and had bought a smart tweed suit. Her family and many of her friends were going to be going to court to support her.

Paul Drake was ready for along day in the hot courtroom and met the Mason's on the front step of the courthouse as he had done many times before. As the three friends ascended the stairs once more they nodded to Hamilton Burger and Lt Tragg.

In the conference room Harriet Barker was waiting nervously for Mr. Mason. The room was brightly lit, but somehow, with all of the books that lined the walls and the terror in her heart, the room felt very dark and small. She looked up when she heard the door open and managed to give Mr. Mason a worried smile.

"Things might appear to go slowly the first few days Harriet. There will be a lot of talking about the technical results. But, you need to understand that sometimes there is something hidden in the information that results in the solving of the murder. Try not to show any emotional actions, and keep your cool. No matter what they say in the courtroom, do not shout out or speak unless directed to do so by the judge or myself. You will be all right." Perry assured her.

As Harriet went into the courtroom she could feel every eye on her. She saw her mother and father sitting directly behind her, her boyfriend was there and also Makayla. She felt better, as she sat next to Della who gave her a warm smile.

The trial started almost exactly at ten that morning. It was a hot day with the temperature expected to hit near ninety degrees. There was no air conditioning in the courtroom and the overhead fans barely kept the heat down. Harriet almost immediately regretted wearing a tweed suit she was sweating from nerves and now with the heat, she knew that it was going to be a long day.

Judge Harris was an honest hard working man who had been sitting in the bench for over ten years. He had presided over several murder trials and had found Perry Mason to be quick, smart and sometimes on the cusp of questionable actions when it came to finding out what had really happened and saving his client. He was good, and he was always surprised when Perry Mason's client was found guilty. As he looked around the courtroom, he wondered if Perry Mason was going to find out that one of the people in the courtroom other than the defendant was the murderer this time also.

Hamilton Burger had worked hard over the past several weeks working on the case against Harriet Barker. He had gone over every single piece of evidence personally and was sure that he had an iron clad case against the lady. He had the motive the opportunity and there had not been time for someone else to get into the apartment and kill Dean Brice that day. He looked over at the young lady and thought how innocent she looked. She was dressed very conservatively, and would make a good impression on the jury. He knew as well as Mason did that first impressions on the jury was very important.

Perry Mason had spent hours with Hamilton Burger choosing the jury. In all, he had interviewed over sixty people, before he and Hamilton had come to an agreement on who would sit on the jury for this trial. There were seven women and five men on this jury. Of the seven women four were married and in their late thirties and forties. They were a teacher a homemaker and two women who worked as sales clerks. The other three women were a very young girl, who had just turned twenty-one. She was a student and very smart. The other lady was in her sixties and was a retired telephone operator. The women on the jury were rounded up by another lady who was fifty plus and worked as a manager for a donut shop.

The men on the jury were a businessman in his forties, who was locally well known. There were two men who worked locally and were in their late thirties and then the two other men were both in their fifties and worked locally themselves at the local hospital. The jury was a good one, Perry was confident that if it came to a jury decision, the jury would go on their side.

Craig Field arrived at the office of Perry Mason early that Monday morning. It was a court day and Perry Mason had called him with a list of things that he was to do to get ready for the trial. Court was to start at ten and Perry had a list of things for him to do. The list was long, but Craig was excited to be trusted. He was now working everyday for the lawyer and learning. The office was very busy this morning with the trial starting. The atmosphere was very different, also. When Perry Mason and his wife were not in the office Gerty took over many responsibilities. She smiled at Craig as he came in and watched as the young man went right to work.

Back at the courthouse, the first witness was called. It was the first officer that had came to the apartment when Harriet had first found the body of Dean Brice. He was very articulate and described everything in complete detail. The district attorney asked several questions, while Della kept all the information on her laptop for further research. When it was time for Perry mason to question the man he said "No questions"

The next officer up on the stand was Ltl Tragg. He had a lot of information on what had been found in and around the apartment that morning. He had all of the information on her and anyone who had been near the apartment. There had been several people who had gathered around the apartment when they heard that there had been a murder and Della wrote down each and every name carefully.

By the time that Lt Tragg had been on the witness stand nearly all afternoon, Harriet was exhausted. It was now almost four o'clock and she took a sigh of relief when the judge said that court was dismissed . She walked out of the courthouse drained.

Perry knew that he had nothing so far. It was going to be a long night, once again. at the Mason household. As Paul and Perry walked out the courthouse, he told Paul "I want you to look into Makayla again. I know that you feel she is clear, but look into where she was at the time of the murder, ok." he told his friend.

Paul knew that his friend might be smelling something and he was curious himself. As he pulled up in front of Makayla's house for a long night he relaxed once more. He was used to this type of night.

Della and Perry arrived at home to their children and were greeted by both Sally and Perry Jr once more. The family dinner was lively and when the children finally went to bed Perry and Della went back to work.


	12. Chapter 12

Makayla had been at court all day. She knew that her best friend was in trouble. Harriet was in the kind of trouble, that if her best friend didn't tell her lawyer what she knew, she could go to jail for the rest of her life.

As Makayla paced back and forth across her living room floor her mother came in the room. Her mother knew that something was bothering her daughter. At first she had thought that it was because of all the trouble that Harriet was in. But now she wasn't so sure about it. She had seen Makayla upset before, but now she was acting as though she might have something to hide.

Laura had always been close to Makayla and she hoped that her daughter would open up to her. "Makayla, is there something that you need to tell me about what happened that night? I will not make you tell anyone, but please tell me what is bothering you. I love you and will support you no matter what happens." she told her daughter as she gave her a big hug.

It was time that she came through with the truth. If she didn't tell someone she was going to burst. Makayla was also very afraid that Perry Mason or that man Paul Drake were going to find out the truth anyways. Makayla cleared her throat and started to tell her mother what had happened. "That night that we went to the match, I was supposed to be the one driving. Harriet messed things up when she decided to drive instead of me. Dean knew me and I was going to give him a thousand dollars to hit my back end of the car and then I was going to get rid of the huge car payment that I just couldn't afford." She let out a small cry and then took a big gulp. She then continued.

"Dean saw me and followed us out. He knew that he was supposed to be hitting my car, but when he saw Harriet's new mustang convertible he saw money. He was sure that he could make more money off of Harriet than he could off me. So he decided to back end her instead. After the accident he called me that night laughing. He offered to still wreck my car. He also said that if I told the police what I had planned to do that I would go to jail, so I had to keep quiet. I didn't know what to do. Now my best friend is facing life in prison for something I know that she didn't do."

Laura looked at Makayla. What she had done was wrong, but her daughter had not killed anyone. Dean Brice was certainly a bad egg and she couldn't help but wonder how many other times he had done the same thing. There might be quite a few people out there that would want him dead. She looked at her daughter and said "You need to tell Mr. Drake what you told me. I am sure that he can use the information to help your friend. A good lawyer can help you with what you did. Since nothing was ever done I am sure that there is no crime. Don't worry."

Makayla nodded and picked up the phone. She placed a call to Mr. Drake's office and she was connected directly to Paul Drake's phone. Mr. Drake had said that he would be there in a few minutes so Makayla and Laura just sat on the couch shaking. When the handsome man walked in the door and sat down to hear their story, they both felt much better.

Paul Drake listened intently to Makayla and knew that Perry was right as usual. He had suspected that there were other victims to the man who had been murdered and he was sure that was probably the reason why he had been murdered. It was just going to be Perry and his job to find out who that was. When they had a victim they would find the murderer.

Perry Mason had been home in his office working on more briefs when he received the call from Paul. He had a funny feeling that something had happened involving Makayla and was glad that it had nothing to do with her covering the murderer or something. He had for a moment thought that she might be involved in the murder, but now was pretty sure that she was innocent of that crime anyways.

Della had been standing next to her husband when the call had come through. She was still working very hard on finding any other cases where Dean Brice had collected some insurance money due to an accident. But, so far he had come back clean.

Perry looked up at his wife and said "If we don't find something soon, Harriet is in trouble. We know that Dean was involved in insurance scams, what about other scams like the internet? I wonder if he used any aliases on the internet and has done something to anger someone enough to kill him? Della I want you to look into his profile and his internet connection. I want a court order that allows me to see everything that Dean Brice has been involved in for the last three months. I want it from the ip addresses of all three of his known girl friends." Perry told her.

That night the lights burned very late but just after midnight all of the papers were ready for the court the next morning. But Perry wasn't interested in waiting until morning. He picked up the phone and woke up a very groggy Craig. "Craig I want you to get hold of Judge Phelps and I want him to give me an order allowing me to view all internet connections. All the information is here at my house. Come over now and give him a call. He will sign the papers and our work will begin." Perry told him and then hung up the phone.

Della was never surprised at what her husband might do, where he would go with ideas and who he would expect to be at his bid and call. But Craig was a good lawyer in his own right and eager to please Perry Mason. Craig jumped into his clothes and drove right over to the Mason house. There he was greeted by Mr. Mason and he headed out to the judge's home to get his signature.

Paul Drake had a man that specialized in computers and could pull up anything that had been on a computer since the computer was purchased. He called his man into the office and with the court order in hand the man went to work. He was going to have to examine three computers and two laptops. "This could take me twenty-four hours or so." he told Paul.

"That is fine. Just let us have the information as you get it. Perry wants to start reviewing the material right away." Paul told him.

With that the man went to work.


	13. Chapter 13

Now that Makayla had confessed what she had done to Paul Drake, she knew that she had to tell her friend Harriet. She did not want Harriet to find out what she had done in the courtroom or from Mr. Mason or Mr. Drake. She was the one that had done the stupid thing and she needed to be the one to tell her friend.

Harriet was glad to hear from Makayla. With the trial going on and all of the meetings she had not had a chance to visit with her friends. But Makayla had said that she wanted to talk to her and she was worried. She wondered what Makayla had to say.

When Makayla got to her house Harriet could tell that she was nervous about something. As she took a seat in the living room, Makayla took her friends hands in hers. "I have something to tell you. I have done something that has cost you so much pain. I am so sorry." She looked at her friend and went on. "The day that we went to the game, I had planned on having an accident. Dean Brice was supposed to hit my car. I was going to pay him to hit my car and then I would get rid of my awful car payments. I know that it was wrong, but I had no idea that he was going to do what he did. When he tried to sue you, I called him and begged him not to follow through, but he did. I feel just terrible about it."

Harriet couldn't believe what she had thought was her best friend was saying. It wasn't her fault what he had done to her, though. Makayla had done something very stupid and because of it she was suffering. She couldn't help it, but she started to cry. "Oh Makayla how could you do something so stupid? " As Makayla left Harriet truly hoped that she had just lost a best friend. She would cool off in a day or so. "I will call you later Makayla." she managed to say.

Perry Mason and his wife Della were getting ready for another day in court. This case was bothering both of the Mason's. Perry was sure that the murderer was within his grasp and hoped that today he would find out who it was. The murder could have been done by one of many of the suspects and he would be cross examining today.

Sally always tried to make her parents aware of how much she appreciated their work. She truly wanted to be a lawyer someday and listened intently as her parents discussed certain aspects of the courtroom. Jennifer and Sally were down in the kitchen with coffee and bacon and eggs ready for their parents. As they came into the kitchen they could hear their son Perry Jr playing in the den. The den was located right next to the kitchen and had turned out to be a great place. Perry Jr could be watched easily without him knowing that he was being watched. He was now three years old and told them he knew how to behave and could be trusted alone. Soon he was going to be four and he was growing up too fast.

Paul had another night of checking out the various suspects. He had worked hard finding people who had been done wrong by Dean. The list was very long, and many of the people that he contacted were of the lower quality. Dean had indeed been involved in several other cases of insurance fraud, and had somehow managed to keep more than three girl friends on the side. Each of the women thought that he was going to marry them, and each had a good reason to murder him.

The district attorney had Makayla on the list of people to testify today and he was looking forward to that. He hoped that she had told Harriet about what she had done. Because, that was the kind of information that should not be revealed in a courtroom if it could be avoided. It could cause Harriet to show an emotion that he did not want the jury to see.

It was another hot and humid day and this time Harriet had dressed wisely. She was wearing a short sleeved dress with open toed heels. She looked very nice in the outfit, and she knew that she would be much more comfortable.

As Harriet went up the stairs with Mr. Mason there was another media frenzy on the outside. There were cameras everywhere and the reporters continually asked for information about how Harriet felt. Once more Perry Mason and his wife led her through the crowd and she was soon seated in the courtroom once more. Hamilton Burger and Lt. Tragg were already there and she had nodded to them as they nodded to her. Everything was supposed to be done very business like. Harriet wasn't sure if she liked that. After all this was her life that they were dealing with.

Harriet knew that the defense might start today and she saw that there were a lot of people in the courtroom that she didn't know. She knew that some of them were victims of Dean Brice. She wondered which one of them had done the murder, if any. She was worried that perhaps the murderer wasn't there. She smiled at her boyfriend Stan as she saw him coming into the courtroom. He had been one of her strongest supporters through the whole ordeal and she loved him very much. He looked good all dressed in a business suit. He looked older than his years, like he had been worried about his girlfriend.

Hamilton Burger called one more officer who testified to what he had found through more laboratory tests. Dean had died almost immediately after being struck. He might have been able to say something or yell at the person that had struck him. Perry Mason asked "So is it your testimony that the person that struck Dean Brice could have not known that he would die?"

"Yes. That is a definite possibility. The victim could have been awake and aware for up to five minutes. He would have been disoriented, but he could have posed a threat even though fatally injured for a few minutes." the police officer testified.

As Hamilton Burger called Peggy Olson to the witness stand Perry turned to Paul. "I want to know the exact location of the following people during the murder. I want to know where Makayla was Stan Phelps was Debbie Germain and Nicki Brown. I know that you have looked before, but I want to know if there is a possibility that any one of them could have committed the murder." he told him.

Hamilton Burger had seen Mason talking to Paul Drake and he wondered what Mason was up to. Every time the two of them met in court Perry Mason had always come up with something that he would miss. 'Waa this going to be the case once again?' he thought to himself.


	14. Chapter 14

Paul Drake knew that he was in for another all night investigation. He had three people that he was going to have to check out with a fine toothed comb. Perry Mason smelled something, and he was known for his uncanny ability to figure things out.

Craig was in the office going over some briefs when he got a call from Mr. Mason. "Craig I want you to go to the courthouse and I want you to dig into everything anything that you can find on the arrests and evictions at the house where Dean Brice lived. When you get information, I want you to let me know anything right away." Mr. Mason told him.

This was the first chance that Craig felt as though he was part of a team. The eviction records of a large apartment building such as the one where Dean Brice had lived would be long and he would need to go through each and everyone of them. He wasn't sure what Mr. Mason was looking for, but he hoped that he would be the one that would solve this murder case.

Della watched her husband as he worried about the case. The trial was going all right but there had been nothing revealed to help their case yet. Everything still indicated that Harriet could be the guilty party. She took her husband's elbow and they walked out of the courthouse holding their heads up high.

As the Mason's drove up to the house, Perry tapped Della on the arm. "I am going to go and meet Paul. It could be a long night." and with that he kissed her good night.

Paul Drake was sitting outside of Stan Phelps house, when Perry arrived. As Perry took his place behind Paul, Paul drove off. This would give the people who lived on the street a chance to see that the first car had left. This would stop them from worrying about the strange car that had been sitting outside one of the homes for a while. After doing night watches for many years, the two friends had learned to change cars, and Perry knew that Paul would be coming to the car in a few minutes. Sure enough within five minutes Paul opened the door and took a seat. He shook his head and acknowledged his friend. The coffee was sitting there, nice and hot, and ready for another long night.

Stan Phelps had noticed the strange car that had been parked close to his house. He was thinking about going out and questioning who was in the car, just about the time that the car pulled away. But, now there was another car out there. 'Oh you are just so jumpy with the trial and all. You are imagining thins.' he thought to himself.

Perry had been hoping that Craig would be able to get more information for him that afternoon. He knew that the courthouse would be closing at six and that at most Craig would have a couple of hours to do research. Just then his phone rang. "Hi Mr. Mason this is Craig. I have a couple of recent evictions here. But, they are names that I have not heard of. None of them are on the list of people or witnesses."

That is when Perry wrote down the names and showed them to Paul. Paul called over to his office and told them to look into the names that Perry had given them. "They will have the information for you in a couple of hours." Paul told Perry.

The two men stayed outside of the house until after eleven when they watched the lights go out. They knew that Stan Phelps had gone to bed. But, just as the two men were starting to head home Paul got a call from one of his men.

"Paul, I have checked each one of the people that you wanted me to verify where they were and what they were doing when the murder occurred. It appears that all four of them were close enough by to have committed the murder. Stan Phelps cannot account for his time for at least 1/2 an hour before and an hour after the murder. He was at work until then but did not arrive home for an hour and a half. He says that he was at the store, but we can't find anyone that remembers him being there that day. Debbie Germain was at home making dinner, but was alone, and Makayla, Harriet's friend was driving around worried about what she had done. No one saw her either. She also didn't stop at any stores or anything. Nicki Brown was at work, but left early that afternoon. When we asked her where she was she said she was just out taking care of business. She did stop and pay a couple of bills, but she was in the area of the murder at about the same time that Dean was murdered."

Perry had been listening as the man talked to Paul "Tell him thank you and keep digging." he told Paul.

Della was about to give up on seeing her husband that evening when she saw the lights of his car pulling into the driveway. She knew that he would be tired, but she hoped that he would have something good to tell.

As Perry walked into the house, he took his wife in his arms. She was a welcomed sight after a long night of sitting in a cramped hot car. He smiled as he looked at the dinner that Della had saved for him and sat at the counter to try to eat something. "Nothing is happening. Stan Phelps stayed at home all night and never left. He went to bed early."

Della wished that there was something that she could say or do, but there was nothing to do but wait for court. Perhaps Craig would find something out through the courthouse. She knew that the courthouse was closed now, but Craig would be back there as soon as the doors opened. As Perry and Della climbed the stairs to their room Stan Phelps was up once again. He was walking back and forth across the floor. He hoped that the trial would be over soon.

Nicki Brown had been avoiding court, but now she had no choice. She had been served and now had to be in court until she was called as a witness. She hoped more than anything that she wasn't a suspect. Dean was a jerk, but she had not killed him.

Sue Drake watched as her husband came in late once again. As the two walked up the stairs to their room together, Paul fell right asleep. It had been a long hot cramped night for him too.


	15. Chapter 15

Harriet Barker was at home wondering who the murderer was. Her friend Makayla had done something stupid, indeed. But, her friend had always been much less mature than her and she had been falling behind in car payments. She was not being a nice person, but that didn't make her a murderer.

Makayla was at home feeling very worried about her friend. If Harriet was found guilty she could go to jail for the rest of her life. She had to do something. Somewhere there had to be an answer. She was getting ready to pick up the phone and call Harriet when the phone rang. It was Harriet, and she was coming over.

As the two friends hugged and Harriet forgave her best friend they sat down and went over each and every aspect of the trial. The answer was there someplace and they had to find the murderer. Although, Harriet had kept very good notes of what had happened in the courtroom. But, Makayla had brought a recorder inside. They didn't know if it was legal or not, but it was going to help them find the murderer and neither one of them cared at this point anyways.

Both of the women had been surprised to find out that Dean had been alive and probably yelling at the person who murdered him. Perhaps up until that moment when the truth came out the murderer did not know that they had killed him. They probably had thought that it was possible, but they had known that he was alive and yelling when they had left him.

So, who in the courtroom seemed to be the most upset by the news that Dean had probably lived for a few minutes before falling down and dying? The two women looked at each other and thought about the courtroom. Each of them had looked around when they had heard the coroner talk, and had not noticed anything about anyone in particular.

They then looked at each person who could have committed the murder. They went over each and everyone that was in the courtroom and it appeared that they all had a good alibi.

In the meantime Craig was back in the courthouse when the doors opened. He had many months and years of evictions and court proceedings that he needed to go through. Much of the information was on the computer, but many files had not been transferred as of yet, and he was going to have to through each of those files one by one.

The day was going very long and slow, when he ran into something. He was not sure what the information meant, but five years ago a family named Phelps with a son named Stan had been evicted from the same apartment where Dean Brice had been murdered. Craig knew that Perry Mason would want the information right away. But, as he glanced at his watch he realized that the time was after ten. Court had already started. It was then that he made the decision to go into the courtroom and tell Perry what he had found right away.

The courtroom was once again very crowded, the air was heavy and humid. Perry Mason had just finished cross examining Nicki Brown when he heard the doors of the courtroom open. "Could I please take a moment of the courts time?" he requested.

"Yes, you may have a brief moment." the judge said.

As Perry listened to what his young attorney said, he then knew that there was something that he was going to need to do. "Thank you Craig." and with that he sent the young man back to look for more information.

Perry Mason then stood up and said "I would like to call Stan Phelps to the witness stand."

Stan Phelps was very nervous. He knew that if he didn't look and sound confident Perry Mason was going to find the truth. He stood up and walked up to the stand with confidence. He took the oath and took the seat.

Mason watched the young man with intrigue. He knew the truth now and with the large eyes that he was known for gave the young man the showdown. "Five years ago, where did you live?" he asked.

That was a surprise question for Stan Phelps. He didn't know that Mason would be able to get that kind of information. "I lived in the same apartment that Dean Brice lived in. I was a child at the time." he told him as nonchalantly as possible.

Harriet was in disbelief. Her boyfriend had lived in that apartment and 'now what other secrets did he hold?' she worried. He had been avoiding her since the murder and she had wondered why that was. Up until now she thought that perhaps he did think that she had killed Dean Brice.

Perry Mason was now on the prowl. He asked "Did you have a key to the apartment?"

At this point Stan Phelps knew that he was caught. "Yes. My mother still had the key on her key ring. It was funny. I never guessed that the apartment manager never changed the locks on the door. I saw Dean go out to his car and thought that he was leaving. I used the key and went into the apartment. He was going to try and destroy Harriet's life. I thought that while he was gone I would go through his belongings and find something on him. That way the nightmare would end. But, just a few moments after I went in to the house, Dean came in. The jerk, he recognized me and started laughing. We struggled and I hit him on the side of the head. I hit him only once, and he was screaming at me. I ran out of the house, and down to my car. It wasn't until later that I found out he was dead. The funny thing is that up until the time the doctor there said that he had been alive and awake after he was hit I didn't know I had killed him." he said with a sort of laugh. "I didn't mean to kill him and I certainly didn't want to hurt Harriet like I did."

With that Perry Mason asked that all charges were dropped against Harriet Barker. The judge awarded this and ordered Stanley Phelps to be arrested for murder.

Later on that afternoon Perry Craig Della and Paul sat in the office with Harriet and Makayla. "Stan will need a good attorney and I am willing to help you out. My associate here Craig Field will be meeting with him this afternoon. He will probably get some jail time, but he will be free to live a good life after he serves his time." Perry Mason smiled.

"I can't thank you enough Mr. Mason." Harriet and Makayla shook everyone's hands and left together Harriet a free woman and with her best friend.


End file.
